Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2020 i BBC Wildlife Magazine

RED-TAILED MASON BEE Like some diminutive Harry Potter riding a broomstick, a small, fuzzy red bee came in low and heavy, dodging between grass and bramble, before crashing into a dark hole in the undergrowth. It appeared to be carrying a blade of grass several times longer than its body. This was my introduction to the wonderful world of Osmia bicolor , the red-tailed mason bee. Of Britain’s 240 solitary bee species (the ones where each female makes a separate nest), the red-tailed mason is among the most endearing. It’s small and easy to miss, at just 12mm long, and looks superficially like many other solitary bees on the wing in spring. As both its scientific and common names suggest, it is a bee of two halves. Up front it…

Conservation groups are celebrating, following the Scottish Government’s decision in late February to refuse planning permission for a controversial golf course at Coul Links in northeast Scotland, home to a globally important, wildlife-rich system of sand dunes. Jo Pike, chief executive of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, praised individuals for making a real difference by taking the time to stand up for nature: “We hope this decision will act as a clear signal that protected sites should be just that – protected,” she says. Plans for the golf course from US developers were initially given the green light by Highland councillors in June 2019. However, Scottish ministers called in the planning application for more detailed scrutiny. Following a public inquiry, the government refused permission: ministers said the plan would have supported…

Sixteen years ago, Wendy Fail successfully reintroduced Europe’s smallest, and arguably cutest, rodent to Northumberland. It’s just that she didn’t know it until now. “We’d spent months lovingly breeding these mice, so we didn’t want to release them all in one go.” Back in 2004, harvest mice were found no further north than Durham in the UK. But Wendy Fail, a PhD student at Newcastle University at the time, came up with a plan to change that. “They hadn’t been seen in Northumberland for a number of years,” she says, “so, we decided to see if we could reintroduce them.” After consulting experts and recruiting volunteers, she and her team set about breeding a captive population of 240 mice for release, from animals donated by Chester Zoo and “a chap…

CORAL Coralline hydroxyapatite is a refined material produced by the partial conversion of calcium carbonate from sea coral exoskeletons. It is used as a bone graft material, and has recently been improved so that it biodegrades more effectively within the human body. BROWN SEAWEED This is the source for sodium oligomannate, a newly approved treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. By altering the connection between brain and microbiome, it is thought to suppress inflammation and inhibit progression of the condition. MAGICAL CONE SNAIL Ziconotide is a synthetic version of the omega-conopeptide found in the venom of this predatory sea snail. It is used as a painkiller for relentless and debilitating pain, as it blocks the pores on nerves that transmit pain signals. MANGROVE TUNICATE This sea squirt produces a compound called ET-743,…

KANGAROO RAT ARID DESERT Surviving hot desert environments, where water can be impossible to find, is no mean feat, but kangaroo rats make it look easy. They are so good at retaining water acquired via food that they don’t even need to drink. They avoid the sun, don’t sweat or pant, and make super-concentrated urine, reabsorbing as much water as possible. POMPEII WORM HYDROTHERMAL VENTS Some scientists think that life on Earth started at hydrothermal vents in ocean depths. Here, the Pompeii worm is exposed to temperatures of 80°C, making it one of the most heat-tolerant animals. With its tail exposed to the vent, it keeps its head and gills in cooler water. It’s believed to channel heat out of its head to keep internal organs cool. SHORTHORN SCULPIN ANTARCTIC…

The mysterious arapaima aren’t the only giants in Guyana. The country, only slightly smaller in size than the UK, is also home to a variety of other larger-than-life animals. GIANT ANTEATERS are the largest of the four anteater species, reaching up to 2m in length. When rearing up on their hind legs, these creatures are taller than a human adult. JAGUARS are elusive predators of the forest. The third-largest cat species in the world, they have the greatest bite force relative to their size and are able to pierce skulls. GOLIATH BIRDEATER SPIDERS are partially misnamed, as they don’t usually eat birds. However, they are certainly large enough to do so, with a legspan of up to 30cm. GREEN ANACONDAS are a non-venomous boa species and are one of the…

“If you want to be a responsible farmer and don’t want to cull badgers, then you should have them vaccinated to reduce the risk. But is it the golden bullet? Absolutely not. The golden bullet is to get accurate testing and spread it across the UK. But that would result in many more cattle being slaughtered. If vaccination is used in an appropriate manner, it will reduce the risk, but it won’t stop the spread of TB in cattle.”…

“Controlling the disease in wildlife is a crucial element of tackling this devastating disease, with recent academic research and veterinary evidence demonstrating that badgers are a cause of over 50 per cent of TB infection in High Risk Areas. The latest peer-reviewed research definitively shows the phenomenal impact culling badgers has on reducing TB levels in cattle, and it is frustrating that too often culling and badger vaccination are given a false equivalence.”…

Organisms inhabiting a body of water can be divided into four broad groups. Benthos inhabit the bottom and are often attached to it (think coral or seagrass); pleuston float on the surface (pond skaters or Portuguese man o’ war); plankton – tiny and passive – go wherever the currents take them; and nekton comprise the fish, squid, turtles and other active swimmers. Many aquatic organisms start out as plankton and transition to nekton (or benthos, or pleuston) as they mature.…

DOCUMENTARY Australia: Earth’s Magical Kingdom Discover a variety of unique wildlife from ‘down under’ in this hour-long programme. BBC iPlayer, until April 2020 DOCUMENTARY South Pacific: Fragile Paradise As bountiful seas attract international fishing fleets, find out what is being done to protect wildlife in the South Pacific. BBC iPlayer, until April 2020 DOCUMENTARY Snow Animals Liz Bonnin reveals the tactics used by a range of charismatic animals to survive winter. BBC iPlayer, until December 2020…

Fantastic phenomenon Thank you so much, Nick Baker, for the interesting insight into the phenomenon of hair ice (Hidden Britain, February 2020). On New Year’s Day, my husband and I were walking along the River Tay near Dunkeld, where we came across some small patches of white ‘hairs’ on twigs lying on the ground. We didn’t think much of it at first but stopped to have a closer look and take photographs. When we got home, we did a bit of research and found out more about this marvel and realised how lucky we were to see it, as the conditions have to be just right. We’ve told people about it and showed them the photographs, but they hadn’t ever heard about it or seen it. Nick said in his…

The species is functionally extinct – right now, there are only two females left. Why champion the northern white rhino? What’s not to love? They’re powerful, yet strangely balletic. They’re such magical creatures: in fact, rhino-lovers have come to know them as ‘chubby unicorns’. But the reality for many rhinos is a far cry from the charming fairy tale their nickname may suggest. This Critically Endangered species is in desperate need of our help as, like all rhino species, it has been targeted by poachers for its horns. Right now, there are only two female northern white rhinos left, Fatu and Najin, and as they’re unable to reproduce without a male (Sudan, the last male, died in March 2018), the species is functionally extinct. Have you met Fatu and Najin?…

“I turn to the natural world all the time when I am stressed and, increasingly, when I am not stressed, as a preventive measure. A walk in the park is just part of my near-daily routine now. It puts me in a better mood and it makes my dog happy.”Florence Williams podcaster and author of The Nature Fix (W W Norton & Company, £12.99) Breathtaking views, sunlight through a forest canopy, patience rewarded with a rare sighting: all are natural mood-boosters. Numerous studies show us that being active in a natural environment can enhance this mood-lifting effect, whether we are walking, cycling, running or, notably, taking part in nature conservation. Exercising in nature is particularly beneficial, says Dr Rangan Chatterjee. “If we exercise in nature, rather than in a gym,…

“You just sit. Before you a tree, a stretch of water, a tangled bank. And see what turns up. I’ve called it the Bottomless Sit. Look for nature. The more you sit, the less you become an observer of nature, and the more you become a participant.”Simon Barnes authorof Rewild Yourself: 23 spellbinding ways to make nature more visible (Simon & Schuster,£14.99) The more we know about a plant, a bird, an animal, the more it feels familiar to us and, it follows, the more personally we feel connected to it. This is good news for nature, because we care most about the things we feel most connected to, and it’s good news for us too. Studies in the field of positive psychology have shown that our level of ‘nature…

“Voluntary work saved my life. It gave me something to do that was meaningful at a time when I was despairing. I rediscovered happiness and had an outlet for my obsessive compulsive tendencies – I will reach that piece of litter that is eluding me!”Ruth Lawton volunteer ranger at RSPB Sandwell Valley, West Midlands, UK Giving is good for us. We know this instinctively. When we give, we feel good. We experience what scientists describe as the ‘warm glow effect’ or ‘helper’s high’, caused by a release of endorphins in the brain. Research into this effect by the US National Institutes of Health discovered that giving to charities stimulates the areas of the brain associated with pleasure, social connection and trust. A second US study by Claremont Graduate University found…

JAVIER AZNAR GONZÁLEZ DE RUEDA Documenting treehoppers was a joy for photographer Javier. “I want to reveal the hidden world of creatures that crawl below the horizon of most people,” he says. See p66 SIMON BIRCH Can carbon offsetting work? Journalist Simon set to find out. “More of us are now coming to the uncomfortable conclusion that if we’re to save the world from climate meltdown we’ve got to curb our flying habits,” he says. See p76 JAMES FAIR The badger cull debate has raged for half a century. Journalist James provides an overview, following the latest government announcement. “This is just the latest in a long line of plans and strategies,” he says. See p56 SUSANNE MASTERS Ethnobotanist Susanne dives into the fascinating world of marine bioprospecting. “In our…

There are several species of solitary bee to look out for, including the hairy-footed flower bee, which also goes by the name of feather-footed flower bee. It’s a fairly common sight in parks and gardens. Only the males of this species have the unusual hairy ‘feet’, which they use in courtship. But it is the females, looking like all-black bumblebees, that tend to catch the eye. You’re most likely to see them nipping between tube-shaped flowers such as comfrey, red dead-nettle and lungwort.…

Fighting chance When dandelions from regions often infested by white grubs are attacked by the grubs, they respond by producing lighter seeds that fly better, but germinate less. Those from regions without white grubs do not show this response. First responders In multi-element alarm calls, New Holland honeyeaters signal danger in the first note, so others can respond rapidly, according to Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Succeeding notes signal how long to stay hidden. Seal signals Wild grey seals were seen clapping flippers underwater in the breeding season, to warn off competitors and advertise to potential mates. The Marine Mammal Science research is based on footage collected by naturalist Dr Ben Burville. Family feuds Beadlette anemones have stinging wars over prime spots but are most aggressive to close relatives.…

• Find accommodation at Rewa Eco-lodge (rewaecolodge.com), Surama Eco-lodge (suramaecolodge. com), Atta Rainforest Lodge (iwokramacanopywalkway.com), The Karanambu Trust and Lodge (karanambutrustandlodge.org), and Caiman House (caimanhouse.com). • Wildlife tours are offered by Wildlife Worldwide (wildlifeworldwide.com), Naturetrek (naturetrek.co.uk), Wilderness Explorers (wilderness-explorers.com), Adventure Guianas (adventureguianas.com) and local guide Leon Moore (journeyguyana.com). • Virgin Atlantic flies from Gatwick to Georgetown via Bridgetown (Barbados). American Airways flies from Heathrow via New York. Visit gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice for the latest travel advice around COVID-19.…

“The reason why I don’t think vaccination is a red herring is because the government policy isn’t to reduce cattle TB a bit, it’s to eradicate it. There’s this idea that because it’s mostly cattle[-to-cattle transmission], that it’s entirely cattle, but there’s no doubt that badgers can and do give TB to cattle. They are not anywhere near close to being the main source of TB in cattle, but they are a source.”…

“The Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT) is the clearest results we have about the impact of badger culling, but they are carrying out and co-ordinating the current culls in a different way, and that’s why it’s important to analyse what their impacts are. Reporting has shown reductions in Somerset and Gloucestershire after two years of culling, but we didn’t see that in Dorset. We didn’t see that level of variation in the RBCT – the RBCT was comparatively consistent in its impacts.”…

We solve your wildlife mysteries. BEHAVIOUR Why do bears love a good scratch? Do bears scratch in the woods? Absolutely – check out the comic clip of tree-rubbing brown bears, filmed for Planet Earth II , on BBC Earth’s YouTube channel. Bears routinely use trees, boulders and even signposts as back scratchers, but this is more than dealing with an ursine itch. They are also scent-marking, so select prominent trees, preferably where territories overlap. Many aspects of the chemical signalling – where, when, how much, how often – differ according to the bears’ sex and age. The perfume is far from subtle. Alaska state biologist Anthony Crupi has studied ‘rub trees’ by placing gauze over the trunk, and it “would turn almost black from the oils and stuff in the…

DALMATIAN PELICAN This is the last thing fish see when they get too close to a hungry Dalmatian pelican. The bird’s bill is a giant dip net, with which it scoops up water – and hopefully a fish or two. As the bill closes, excess water drains out. Stretchy skin on the throat creates an extendible structure known as a gular pouch, effectively a bag for carrying lunch. Bence Máté’s water-level view was taken at Lake Kerkini in Greece, but this pelican is also an extinct British native. Advocates of ‘rebirding’ our landscape hope that it might yet be reintroduced.…

Why did you create this book? I have been fundraising for birds for a few years now, through Probable Bird Society, which I co-founded with my friend, Stew Graham. We have raised money for hen harriers and curlew, amongst others, but reading the Birds of Conservation Concern list, known as the UK ‘red list’, I realised that so many other birds need help, too. The main aim of the book is to raise funds for BTO and RSPB, for their crucial work to help red-list species, but also to bring the red list to a wider audience and hopefully inspire people to take action themselves, whatever that might be. This book is a call-to-arms. How did you manage to get 134 people to contribute to the book? Purely by brass-necking…

Three projects you can get involved in: iRecord Butterflies Submit your sightings of different butterflies to this app and learn more about each species in the process. bit.ly/3aa6Z2f Garden Moth Scheme Record the moths in your garden once a week, to contribute to this family-friendly citizen science project. gardenmoths.org.uk Big Butterfly Count Set aside 15 minutes of your time to join in with the annual summer survey of butterflies run by Butterfly Conservation. bigbutterflycount.org…

It was heartening to read your David Bellamy tribute (Jolly Green Giant, February 2020). As the first high-profile environmental campaigner, his death is a great loss. I had the privilege of knowing David for a long time, as he was a patron for two Scottish environmental organisations that I founded. The first was Buchan Countryside Group in Aberdeenshire, established in 1980, which mainly campaigned against developments detrimental to wildlife and set up the pioneering Buchan Broadleaved Woodland Project. A handwritten letter to David resulted in one back, saying that he would be honoured to be a patron. Given how many organisations he was already patron of, this was a wonderful surprise! Out of this project emerged Scottish Native Woods, focussing on restoration, especially in the Highlands. David again agreed to…

A third viable northern white rhino embryo has been developed using IVF technologies by an international collaboration called BioRescue, led by the Leibniz Institute. This is an encouraging milestone and fantastic example of what working together can achieve. The embryo is stored in liquid nitrogen along with two embryos from earlier procedures, and selection of a southern white rhino surrogate is underway. Jan Kirsten , Global Head of Fertility Business, Merck…

Take a guided walk Walking is known to improve your cardiovascular health, mood and self-esteem. A 2014 study by researchers at the University of Michigan found that taking group nature walks has a host of mental health benefits, including decreased Head to the coast “Water has been found to be a dominant feature of ‘restorative’ landscapes – viewing water creates strong positive reactions that improve our mood and promote recovery from stress and mental fatigue,” writes marine biologist Dr Deborah Cracknell in By the Sea: the therapeutic benefits of being in, on and by the water. So, head to the ocean! Camp out A 2017 study by the University of Colorado Boulder found that sleeping outdoors for a weekend can reset your sleep schedule to line up with natural light…

Feel Better in 5 – Your Daily Plan to Feel Better For Life By Dr Rangan Chatterjee (Penguin Life, £16.99) Stress and wellbeing expert Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s latest book is full of quick and easy ways to feel healthier in mind and body, with his ‘micro-prescriptions’ including time spent in nature, simple mindfulness practices and easy-to-do-at-home exercises. Ring the Hill By Tom Cox (Unbound, £16.99) Ring the Hill is about walking in nature, in which “the stories somewhat mirror the digressive rhythms of walks themselves”. Each chapter takes a type of hill – a knoll, a cap, a cliff, a tor – as a starting point for an intimate, and at times laugh-out-loud funny, exploration of nature, landscape, folklore and more. The Wild Remedy: How nature mends us By Emma…

1 Weeting Heath is managed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) and is simply the best place in the country to catch up with stone curlews. The reserve is also home to many rare Breckland plants. 2 East Wretham Heath is the oldest nature reserve in East Anglia’s ‘Brecks’ and is also managed by the NWT. Look out for woodlarks and stoats, the latter often seen while attempting to catch one of the reserve’s abundant rabbits. 3 Sandlings Heaths and Forest is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. It represents a remnant of the vast unbroken heathland landscape that once stretched almost the entire length of the Suffolk coast. 4 Hyde Common is on the northwestern fringe of the New Forest National Park in Hampshire. Grazed by livestock, the site…

The drug baron Pablo Escobar – head of Columbia’s notorious Medellín Cartel during the 1970s and 80s – distributed more than just cocaine around the world. Bizarrely, he also introduced a population of hippos to South America, and biologists have now found the first evidence that they are altering the ecology of water bodies in their adopted range. Escobar, a contender for the wealthiest criminal in history, spent part of his vast fortune stocking one of his properties, Hacienda Nápoles, with large African mammals including giraffe, elephants and four hippos. After he was shot dead by police in 1993, most of the animals were re-homed in proper zoos. But not the hippos. They now number around 100 and have been reported in the Magdalena River, 150km from Hacienda Nápoles. Their…

I get really upset by the ‘them-or-us’ attitude so many people have towards wildlife. Why can’t we try a ‘them-and-us’ attitude instead? As a country renowned for our love of wildlife, we should have a more caring culture of coexistence. Anglers are a case in point. The Angling Trust and the Avon Roach Project have been campaigning for years to be able to kill as many cormorants as they want – claiming that the birds take too many of ‘their’ fish. And they might succeed if a government review of licencing to kill ‘pests’, currently underway, rules in their favour. I sincerely hope it doesn’t. Allowing cormorants to be gunned down to ‘protect’ fish that anglers then catch themselves – mostly for fun – would be utterly ridiculous and outrageous.…

Substances were isolated from a shallow-water sponge and used in the development of drugs. Think about harnessing the medicinal potential of the natural world, and images may come to mind of the archetypal explorer cutting a path through a tangle of exotic jungle. But in our constant search for new cures and treatments from the wild, attention is increasingly moving from land to sea. “Tropical rainforests are treasure troves of biodiversity and possibility, but there are many other underexplored biomes worth investigating for natural pharmaceuticals,” says Cassandra Quave from Emory University, Georgia, USA, who spent her early career looking at uses of plants in the Peruvian jungle. “With marine environments still relatively underexplored, medicine from the ocean is at the frontier of drug development.” Marine bioprospecting, as it’s known, may…

The place of these birds at Lake Natron has been put into question over the years. The area has one of the greatest natural deposits of natron and there had been plans to build a soda ash plant to extract it. This would have resulted in large changes to the lake’s chemistry and would irrefutably damage the area for lesser flamingos. Thankfully the plans were dropped in 2018, after years of protest from wildlife campaigners. “The soda ash plant has gone for good, we hope, but this has happened before, where it has been put on the back burner, disappeared and then come back again,” says the IUCN’s Paul Rose. With no formal protection, there are fears that attempts may yet be made to extract the natron. However, climate change…

1966 About 1 per cent of UK cattle herds thought to be infected with bovine tuberculosis (bTB) – down substantially from 40 per cent in the 1930s. 1971 BTB found for the first time in badgers – in Gloucestershire. 1975 The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) begins gassing operations using hydrogen cyanide – about 4,500 setts are targeted over the next seven years. 1979 Lord Zuckerman is commissioned to review the culling strategy. He concludes that badgers constitute a significant bTB reservoir. Culling stops while the review is under way. 1980 Gassing restarts after Zuckerman reports, but further investigation casts doubt on the humaneness of cyanide, which is found not to kill badgers immediately. 1982 Gassing is replaced by live-trapping and shooting as the official form of control.…

“If you look at the Gloucester cull area in year five [after four years of culling], the TB level goes up again. If you look at the end of year five, which was 2018, TB incidents are 5 per cent higher than they were at the start of culling. Somerset presents a more favourable picture. If you put everything on the table, I don’t think we have conclusive evidence that culling is having the impact that some headlines are attracting.”…

1 WHEN AND WHY DID LYNX DIE OUT HERE? “Lynxes were definitely in Britain later than the Romans and were still around when the Saxons arrived,” says Ross Barnett in The Missing Lynx. They easily survived the end of the Ice Age, which killed off woolly mammoths and many other megafauna. The final straw, Barnett argues, came some 10,000 years later, with a combination of persecution and deforestation during a period of medieval political turmoil. 2 DID CAVE LIONS REALLY LIVE IN CAVES? Not usually. These formidable felines – “lord of the plains and king of the tundra,” according to Barnett – hunted prey such as bison and reindeer in the open. So why the name? Caves just happen to be where their bones are best preserved. The…

GET CRAFTY Looking for activities to entertain the children, and yourself? Discover the delights of bark rubbings on our website: discoverwildlife.com/barkrub THE PERSONAL TOUCH Use the RSPB’s handy online tool to create a customised plan for your garden, whether you have a large plot or a small balcony and limited time. bit.ly/RSPBplan SHEATHE THE SHEARS Nesting season is well underway, so avoid cutting hedges until the autumn. If you must attempt to tame greenery, keep an eye out for nests and stop pruning if you spot any.…